NHRA Finals: Brittany Force, Ron Capps find success in Pomona
Funny Car driver Ron Capps grabs the championship trophy as his crew rushes him to celebrates after winning his third season championship at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car season champion Ron Capps celebrates with race fans following the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Ron Capps celebrates as he climbs out of his hot rod after winning his third season championship at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Season champions, from left, Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) and Ron Capps (Funny Car) celebrate with race fans following the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett explodes the engine in her dragster during the opening round of eliminations at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. At least 3 fans in the crowd were hit by shrapnel from the explosion, none were believed to be serious injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A race fan is tended to my medical personnel after being hit with shrapnel from Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett’s exploding dragster at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. The man was transported to a hospital with none life threatening injuries. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Steve Torrence, far lane, is defeated by Ron August Jr., near lane, during the opening round of eliminations at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett shows her concern after 3 fans were hit by pieces from her exploding dragster at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock Motorcycle event winner Angie Smith jumps into the arms of her husband at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. Matt Smith won his 6th Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship earlier in the day. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Race fans cheer at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Austin Prock is congratulated by a crew member after winning in the semi final round of eliminations at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock event winner Greg Anderson celebrates at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A race fan is tended to my medical personnel after being hit with shrapnel from Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett’s exploding dragster at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. The man was transported to a hospital with none life threatening injuries. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett enters the first aid trailer to see a race fan who was hit by pieces of her exploding dragster at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. The man was transported to a local hospital with non life threatening injuries. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force rides his scooter with his wife Laurie at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel season champion Brittany Force waves to fans after capturing her second title at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Ron Capps celebrates after winning his third season championship at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel event winner Austin Prock celebrates after defeating Antron Brown, not pictured, in the final at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Season champions, from left, Erica Enders (Pro Stock), Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) and Ron Capps (Funny Car) celebrate with race fans following the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car event winner Cruz Pedregon, left, defeats Ron Capps, right, in the final at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. Capps just needed to make a clean run down the track to capture his third Funny Car Championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel winner Austin Prock, right, defeats Antron Brown, left, during the final at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock event winner Greg Anderson, right, is congratulated by season champion Erica Enders, left, at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Matt Smith celebrates after winning his 6th season championship at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel event winner Austin Prock celebrates a top the wing of his dragster after defeating Antron Brown, not pictured, in the final at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Matt Smith receives a kiss from his wife Angie after winning his 6th season championship at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Bob Tasca, near lane, defeats Robert Hight, far lane, at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Krista Baldwin greets fans at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car season champion Ron Capps hands a bottle of champagne to his daughter Taylor after capturing his third season title following the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Ron Capps celebrates after winning his third season championship at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Bob Tasca, near lane, defeats Robert Hight, far lane, at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Ron Capps, left, defeats Bob Tasca, right, during the semi final round of eliminations at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock champion Erica Enders, left, high fives Top Fuel champion Brittany Force following the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Austin Prock, top, defeats Leah Pruett, bottom, during eliminations at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. Prock went on to win the event tite. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock Motorcycle event winner Angie Smith jumps into the arms of her husband at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. Matt Smith won his 6th Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship earlier in the day. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett explodes the engine in her dragster during the opening round of eliminations at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. At least 3 fans in the crowd were hit by shrapnel from the explosion, none were believed to be serious injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock Motorcycle event winner Angie Smith jumps into the arms of her husband at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. Matt Smith won his 6th Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship earlier in the day. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock Motorcycle event winner Angie Smith jumps into the arms of her husband at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. Matt Smith won his 6th Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship earlier in the day. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett explodes the engine in her dragster during the opening round of eliminations at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. At least 3 fans in the crowd were hit by shrapnel from the explosion, none were believed to be serious injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel event winner Austin Prock celebrates a top the wing of his dragster after defeating Antron Brown, not pictured, in the final at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Matt Smith celebrates after winning his 6th season championship at the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force explodes the body off his hot rod during the quarterfinal round of eliminations Sunday Nov. 13, 2022 during the 57th annual NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force was not injured. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Season champions, from left, Erica Enders (Pro Stock), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Brittany Force (Top Fuel) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) wave to fans following the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Season champions, from left, Erica Enders (Pro Stock), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Brittany Force (Top Fuel) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) wave to fans following the season-ending 57th annual NHRA Finals at AutoClub Raceway at Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
POMONA — Brittany Force easily wrapped up her second Top Fuel national championship and Ron Capps made a comeback to win his second straight Funny Car national title on a day of upsets, oddities, exploding dragsters, and John Force going topless at the NHRA Finals Sunday at the Auto Club Raceway.
Brittany Force, who won her first national title in 2017, didn’t have to work hard for this one. Holding a slim lead in the points standings, she notched this year’s title in the first round of eliminations when she won and her closest competitor, Justin Ashley, lost to Antron Brown. Brittany lost to John Force Racing teammate Austin Brock in the semifinals and then Brock beat Brown by .006 of a second in the event final.
Capps, after faltering on the first day of qualifying on Friday, rallied Saturday to earn the No. 1 seed going into Sunday’s eliminations. Next came his path to the national title, which involved beating points leader Robert Hight in the quarterfinals and then beating Bob Tasca III in the semifinals. In the event final, Capps lost to Cruz Pedregon by .011 of a second.
The highlight of the day, at least for television cameramen and print photographers, came in the second round of Funny Car eliminations when the dragster driven by John Force, Brittany’s father, exploded so badly the entire car body was blown high in the air. Force was not injured.
In the first-round race in Top Fuel, dragsters driven by Leah Pruett and Alex Laughlin both exploded. Pruett’s dragster was the most severely damaged, but it crossed the finish line first. Unfortunately, debris from her car flew into the stands and injured three spectators. One man was hospitalized with lacerations in the neck and ear area after being attended to by track personnel. A visibly shaken Pruett came over to the stands to investigate and then went into the track’s first-aid station to check on the conditions of the injured.
In-N-Out Burger taking over as Pomona Fairplex dragstrip’s new sponsor
An oddity that stuck out, literally, came when a vehicle apparently broke an axle, leaving a large wheel protruding out at an angle. This was not a dragster but rather one of the two tractors used to clean the track from oils spills and such. The mishap caused a delay as the people in charge tried to figure out what to do. Eventually, the tractor was moved out of the way, and later some heavy equipment arrived so repairs could be made. Longtime drag racing observers said they had never seen anything quite like that.
Another oddity was all the upsets, particularly early in the day.
First-round upsets in Top Fuel included losses by second-seeded Steve Torrence, the four-time defending national champion, third-seeded Mike Salinas, and sixth-seeded Doug Kalitta.
In Funny Car, third-seeded Matt Hagen lost in the first round to 14th-seeded Steve Densham, which helped clear the way for Capps, who went into the day trailing Hight by 57 points. He ended up winning by three.
Capps could have lost 10 points and the national title had he crossed the centerline in the final, according to the NHRA rulebook. He said his crew would have preferred he not take any chances and just shut it down after getting off the starting line.
“I hope everybody appreciates that I ran it through the finish line because that was a hard decision to make,” Capps said. “It was for the fans. I hugged the wall all the way down. I was checking to see if I was creating any sparks. I was pretty close to that wall.”
Capps, in winning his third national title overall, became the first Funny Car driver in 20 years to win back-to-back titles.
Things were looking bleak for Capps on Friday night. Because of ignition issues, neither of his two qualifying runs that day were clean. He ended up in the 16th and final qualifying spot. But on Saturday, he made an amazing fourth and final qualifying in 3.887 seconds and set a track record with a top speed of 337.33 mph.
That set the tone for Sunday, as he won a national title in his first season as a team owner. He won in 2021 while racing for team owner Don Schumacher.
Capps will be in Temecula for the NHRA Awards dinner tonight. Then what? A vacation?
“No, no vacation for me,” he told reporters. Then turning to Brittany Force, who was nearby in the press center, he asked, “Are you going on vacation?”
